Cup dispenser



NOV. 1956 A. D. GLADFELDER 3,

CUP DISPENSER Filed May 25, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet l w t FIG. 2

1,. .fl H" II A F I I9 INVENTOR. Alan D. Gladfelder V WH,

Nov. 8, 1966 A. D. GLADFELDER 3,283,951

CUP DISPENSER Filed May 25, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4 40 INVENTOR.

Alan D. Gladfelder NOV. 8, 1966 A GLADFELDER 3,283,951

CUP DISPENSER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 25, 1964 INVENTOR. Alan D.Gludfelder United States Patent M 3,2ss,a51 CUP DESPENSER Alan D.Gladfelder, 3207 Hanover St., Rockford, Ill. Filed May 25, 1964, Ser.No. 369,706 11 Claims. (Cl. 221-11) This invention relates generally toa new and improved cup dispenser and more particularly to a cupdispenser of the type which is adapted for use with a beverage vendingmachine and which includes a multi-turret cup magazine.

There are today various cup dispensers which are specifically designedfor inclusion in beverage vending machines. However, most of these arerelatively large and bulky and therefore take up a disproportionateamount of space in the vending machine. In addition these cup dispensersare quite expensive. A large and expensive cup dispenser can bejustified and in fact may be necessary in vending machines which aresubject to a great deal of daily usage. But it is very difiicult tojustify them in vending machines which are subjected to low or inter--mediate usage.

One of the reasons for the costinherent in present cup dispensers is thefact that one motor must be provided to dispense cups while anothermotor must be provided to index the cup magazine from individual toindividual cup holder as stacks of cups become depleted throughdispensing. Since two motors are provided additional electricalcomponents are also required which further increase cup dispenser cost.All of these components in that they take up additional space, add tothe size and bulk of the cup dispenser.

The present invention was specifically designed to provide a piece ofequipment which would function in a manner comparable to existing cupdispensers but which would be simpler, less expensive and of a smallersize than these dispensers.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a cup dispenserwhich utilizes a single motive means to dispense cups and to index thecup magazine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cup dispenser which hasa relatively high cup capacity.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cup dispenser which isof simple construction and which will function over long periods of timewith a minimum of maintenance.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cup dispenser whichmay be incorporated in existing vending machines with a minimum ofdifficulty.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention takenin connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partially cut away bottom plan view of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a view in elevation of a portion of the cup dispenser withthe cover plate removed;

FIGURE 4 is a partially cut away view in elevation of .a portion of theinvention taken along lines 44 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the invention with the cup magazine and coverplate removed;

FIGURE 6 is a schematic diagram of the operating and electricalcomponents of the invention.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, 10 indicates a cup magazine having aplurality of elongate individual cup holders 11. Each of the holders 11has a longitudinally extending reinforcing rib 12 and each holder isconfigured throughout much of its length in such a manner that when aplurality of holders are grouped, as in FIGURE 1, each rests againstadjacent holders for a major portion of its length and together definean inner space through- 3,283,951 Fatentecl Nov. 8, 1966 out theirlength. The upper and lower ends of the holders are necked-down as at 13and are received in upper and lower magazine support plates 14 (only thelower plate is shown) which have circularly arranged accommodatingapertures 15 therein. A centrally located aperture 16 is provide in eachof the magazine plates for purposes which will be subsequentlydescribed. (see FIGURE 4). A removeable magazine cover 17 having acentral aperture 18 is also provided and is adapted to fit over theupper magazine support plate. It can be seen that the cup magazine is anintegral unit which, as will be subsequently explained, is separable asa unit from the remainder of the cup dispenser.

The main operating components of the dispenser are housed within aremoveable cover 19 which is preferably made of plastic but which mayalso be made of any other relatively rigid light weight material. Asupporting plate 20 having a downwardly flanged periphery 21 and a cupaperture 22 is housed within the cover 19. A cup dispenser ring 23identical to that described in US. Patent 3,071,292 and having spacedapart upstanding lugs 24 is suspended beneath the aperture 22 in theplate 20 by inserting the lugs in locking slots 25 in the plate (FIG-URE 5 The lugs 24 are positively retained in the slots 25 by a pivotedlocking lever 26 which is mounted on the top side of the support plateand which has an eccentric portion 27 which can be brought to bear uponone of the lugs 24 to keep it, and thereby all the lugs, locked withinthe slots 25. Another slot 28 is provided in the support plate in thevicinity of the slots 25 and is adapted to receive a downwardlyextending portion 29 of the lock ing lever. If it becomes necessary todisengage the cup dispenser ring from the support plate it is onlynecessary to reach under the plate 20 and pivot locking lever 26 bygrasping portion 29 thereof. With the lever pivoted and the eccentricportion 27 thereby out of the way of lug 24 the cup dispenser ring canbe slightly rotated to allow the lugs to pass through the larger portionof the locking slots 25 to separate the ring and plate.

In FIGURE 5 it can be seen that the cams 30 in the ring are positionedradially inwardly of the periphery of cup aperture 22 when the ring isproperly locked to the support plate. An operating lever 31 (FIGURE 2)is connected to the earns 30 in the manner taught by the above patentand when actuated serves to rotate the cams in such a manner that a cupformerly resting on the cams is dispensed.

A motor assembly 32 which includes a speed reducer 32 is mounted on thetop side of the support plate 20 and a shaft 33 depends therefrom andpasses through the support plate. A cam 34 having an eccentric portion35 is affixed to the lower extremity of the motor shaft. A cam followerassembly 36 is pivoted as at 37 to the underside of the support plateand is urged by a tension spring 38 attached thereto and to a stationaryportion of the supporting structure in a clockwise direction withrespect to FIGURE 2. The cam follower assembly 36 is also operativelyconnected to the ring operating lever 31.

When the motor assembly 32 is actuated, as by the insertion of a coin inthe vending machine, the cam 34 is rotated in a clockwise direction withrespect to FIGURE 2 to cause the cam follower assembly 36 and ringoperating lever 31 to move in a counter-clockwise direction. Movement ofthe lever 31 in this manner causes the cup cams 30 to dispense thelowermost cup formerly resting therebetween. By the time the cam 34reaches the position of FIGURE 2 the cup formerly resting on the cupcams 30 has been dispensed. When the eccentric 35 clears the camfollower assembly the spring 38 will pivot the assembly and the camoperating lever in a clockwise direction to thereby return the cup cams30 to their 3 normal or starting position. In this manner individual cupdispensing operations are accomplished.

A shaft bushing 3 is mounted on the support and houses an elongate shaftwhich is adapted to pass upwardly through the lower and upper apertures16 in the magazine support plates 14 and through the aperture 18 in themagazine cover 17. A locking nut or knob may be affixed to the upperextremity of the shaft 40 and thereby serve to keep the magazine fixedrelative to the remainder of the device but this is not shown for thesake of con venience. A Geneva gear 41 is fixedly attached to the lowerend of the shaft and has an upstanding pin 42 thereon which is adaptedto mate with an aperture (not shown) in the lower magazine support plate14 to thereby positively tie the motion of the gear and the shaft to thecup magazine.

Extending upwardly from the motor assembly 32 is a shaft 33' which hasmounted thereon a switch cam 47 having an indented peripheral portion48. A pinion 43 having an eccentric portion 44 is mounted on the shaft33' above the switch cam 47. The eccentric portion of the pinion has anaperture therethru and a flat headed pin 45 is accommodated therein andbiased downwardly by a spring 46. When the head of the pin 45 is flushagainst the pinion eccentric portion it will pass below the radial slotsin the Geneva gear and since there is no other connection between pinionand gear the gear will remain stationary. On the other hand if the pinis somehow raised with respect to the pinion it will enter the radialslots in the Geneva gear as the pinion rotates and thereby rotate theGeneva gear and cup magazine since these are operatively connected oneto another.

Intermediate the switch cam 47 and pinion 43 on the shaft 33 is abushing 49 which serves to support a plate cam 50 having a step-downportion 51. The plate cam 50 does not rotate with the shaft 33' but iscapable of rotation with respectthereto. The plate cam 50 is positionednear enough to the base of the flat headed pinion pin 45 so that as thepinion rotates the base of the pin will be in close proximity to most ofthe face of cam 59 and in contact with that portion of the faceimmediately forward of the step-down portion 51 (see FIGURE 6). Normallyas the pinion 43 rotates the flat headed pin 45 in traveling about theface of the plate cam 50 is raised by contact therewith so that it is inposition to mate with the Geneva gear but before this actually happensthe pin drops off the step-down portion of the plate cam and therebypasses beneath the Geneva gear. As a result, the magazine is not rotatedand the cup stack immediately above the cup opening remains in thisposition. If, however, the plate cam 50 is slightly rotated so that thestepdown portion thereof is located approximately under a portion of theGeneva gear the flat headed pinion pin 45, in dropping into the stepdownportion 51 of the plate cam 50, will engage the Geneva gear and therebyenable the magazine to be rotated to position a new stack of cups abovethe up opening. Of course this situation would occur when the cup stackformerly positioned in this manner was devoid or nearly devoid of cups.To accomplish the limited rotation of the cam 50 one end of a link 52 ispivoted thereto. The other end of the link 52 is pivoted to a secondlink 53. The pin 54 joining the links 52 and 53 has a tension spring 55connected thereto. The other end of the tension spring 55 is aflixed toa stationary portion of the housing. The force exerted by the tensionspring 55 normally is sufficient to retain the plate cam in a positionwherein the stepdown portion thereof is forward of the Geneva gear.Hence there is no connection between the pinion and Geneva gear. Thesecond link 53 is pivoted intermediate its ends on a pivot pin 56. Theother end of the second link 53 has an elongate pin 57 thereon which isnormally adapted to be slightly received within the Geneva gear to lockthe gear in immobile position. An angled member 58 is permanentlyaflixed to the base of the pin 57 at one end and to the plunger 59 of asolenoid 69 at the other end. When the solenoid is not actuated thesoleniod plunger is in its outermost position due to the force exertedby the tension spring 55 on the links 52 and 53. However, when thespring biased cup empty switch 61 moves toward the center of the cupaperture due to the fact that there are no cups for it to impinge upon,the solenoid is energized and the solenoid plunger drawn inwardlythereby overcoming the force of the spring, releasing the gear lockingpin 57 from engagement with the Geneva gear, and rotating the plate cam50 in such a manner that before the flat headed pinion pin 45 drops offthe step-down portion 51 of the plate cam it engages the Geneva gear andthereby rotates the magazine. Note that a ntunber of cups may bepositioned above the dispensing cams but below the cup emptly switch 61since the switch is positioned a distance above the cup holding surfacesof the dispensing cams. In this manner a full cup magazine may berotated into dispensing position prior to the time the device iscompletely out of cups despite the fact that'the individual cup stack isdevoid of cups. From the device as so far explained it should be clearthat the invention utilizes a single motor to perform a cup dispensingoperation as well as a magazine rotation operation.

The circuitry utilized with the device is illustrated in FIGURE 6. Whena coin is received in the coin mechanism it serves either alone or inconjunction with a selection switch to close a vend switch 62. When thevend switch 62 is closed power is applied to the motor assembly 32 andthe motor serves to drive the dispensing cam 34 and switch cam 47. Afull cycle switch 63 having a switch arm 64 which is normally positionedin the indented portion 48 of the switch cam 47 is closed as the switchcam 47 rotates and a holding power circuit is formed. This holdingcircuit is necessary since the closing of the vend switch is only ofsufiicient duration to get the motor started and the switch cam rotatedenough to close the full cycle switch. As the motor continues tooperate, the cam 34 actuates the cam follower assembly 36 which in turncauses the dispensing cams in the cup ring to dispense a cup. Before theswitch cam 47 has fully rotated so as to position the switch arm 64 inthe indented portion and thereby open the holding circuit the cam 34 andcam follower assembly 36 are brought back to initial position. When theswitch arm 64 again enters the cam recess 48 the holding circuit isopened and the entire circuit is ready again for operation uponinsertion of another coin.

The operation of the circuitry is identical when an empty cup magazineis positioned over the cup aperture. However, the spring biased cupempty switch 61 is closed due to the lack of a cup in its path. Powerthen flows through the switch 61 to a relay 65 which serves to close aswitch 66.

Relay 65 continues to hold switch 66 closed and power flows to thesolenoid 60 causing plunger 59 to be withdrawn. When this occurs pin 57moves out of engagement with the Geneva gear and the correspondingmovement of the links 52 and 53 causes the plate cam St to be slightlyrotated to position the step-down portion 51 substantially beneath aportion of the Geneva gear. During this time the pinion 43 is rotatingand the pin 45 is being raised by virtue of its contact with theinclining face of the cam 50. Just before the pin falls off thestep-down portion 51 it engages the Geneva gear and the gear and cupmagazine are thereby rotated by the pinion. The pinion and Geneva gear,respectively, are located in such a manner that when the gear is rotatedby the pinion the cup magazine is rotated only a distance sufficient toposition another turret above the cup opening. By the time this occursthe pinion has rotated out of engagement with the Geneva gear. When theswitch cam 47 has completed a revolution the switch arm 64 reenters theindent 48 to open the holding circuit and de-energize the circuit.

While it is not necessary for carrying out the inventive concept hereininvolved, the relay 65 can also be utilized to close the switch 70 topower a solenoid 71. Coin blocking fingers and/ or a warning light couldbe activated by the solenoid 71 so as to prevent or alert the customerto the fact that he should not insert change at that particular momentsince to do so would not accomplish a vend cycle but these are not shownfor the sake of convenience.

It can be seen from the embodiment shown and described that I haveprovided a relatively simple, inexpensive cup dispenser which has thecapability of larger, more expensive and more complicated cupdispensers.

While a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described,it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications can be made therefrom without departing from the inventionand therefore it is intended for the appended claims to cover all suchchanges and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope ofthe invention.

I claim:

1. A cup dispenser of the type having a multiturret cup magazinecontaining a plurality of cup stacks, comprising in combination at leastone cup dispensing cam associated with the magazine and adapted todispense cups from the turret in closest proximity thereto, motive meansoperatively connected to and adapted to activate said dispensing cam,magazine driving means operatively connected to said motive means andcomprising a rotated pinion having a portion thereof which is movableinto engagement with said magazine to index same, adjustable meansassociated with said magazine driving means and having a second positionwherein a portion thereof is engageable with said movable portion ofsaid pinion to move said movable portion into engagement with saidmagazine and a first position wherein it is incapable of doing such, cupsensing means for sensing the depletion of cups in the turret in closestproximity to said cup dispensing cam, a power ircuit including saidadjustable means and said cup sensing means, said sensing means whenoperated due to cup depletion adapted to close said circuit to providepower to said adjustable means to move it from said first to said secondposition.

2. A cup dispenser of the type used in vending machines and having amulti-turret rotatable cup magazine which is adapted to contain a supplyof cups, comprising in combination a plurality of circularly arrangedinter-connected cup dispensing cams normally disposed beneath thedispensing turret of the cup magazine and adapted when activated todispense a single cup, a motor operatively connected to said cupdispensing cams and when operated adapted to cause said cup dispensingcams to dispense a cup, a gear positively connected to said cupmagazine, a pinion having a downwardly biased fiat-headed pin thereon,said pinion being located in close proximity to said gear and beingoperatively connected to said motor and being driven thereby, a platecam disposed beneath said pinion in such a manner that the pinion pintravels over at least a portion of the face thereof, said plate camhaving a step-down portion on the face thereof and being movable from afirst position wherein the step-down portion is forward of the gear to asecond position wherein the stepdown portion is substantially beneath aportion of the gear wherein when said pinion is rotated and said platecam is in said first position the pinion pin drops off the step-downportion of the plate cam and passes beneath the gear but when said platecam is in said second position the pinion pin engages the gear before itdrops off the stepdown portion of the plate cam and remains engagedtherewith for a length of time sufiicient to rotate the cup magazine toposition another turret above the cup dispensing cams, a normally openspring biased cup empty sensing switch adapted to sense the depletion ofcups within the dispensing turret, a solenoid operatively connected in acircuit which includes said cup empty switch, spring biased link meansconnected at one end to the plate cam and at the other end to thesolenoid plunger and adapted to normally retain the plate cam in saidfirst position, said cup empty switch being interposed in a circuitbetween said motor and said solenoid and when allowed to close due tothe depletion of cups in the dispensing turret serving to close acircuit to said solenoid to cause said link means to move said plate camfrom said first to second position to allow said pinion to engage saidgear in order to rotate said cup magazine.

3. A cup dispenser of the type having a magazine which includes at leasttwo cup containing turrets, at least one dispensing cam normallydisposed in close proximity to one of the turrets and adapted todispense cups singly from the turret then associated therewith, and amotor operatively connected to said dispensing cam and adapted whenoperated to cause said dispensing cam to dispense cups from said turret,the improvement therein comprising indexing means connected to saidmotor and being driven thereby and having a second position wherein itpositively engages a portion of said magazine so as to position theother of said turrets in association with said dispensing cam and afirst normal position wherein it does not positively engage a portion ofsaid magazine, operating means adapted to be connected to said motor formoving said indexing means from said first thru said second and back tosaid first position, said indexing means comprising a pinion having amovable portion which is capable of being positioned to engage a portionof said magazine, a plate cam having at least a portion thereof disposedin close proximity to said pinion to engage said pinion portion andbeing movable between a position wherein it moves said movable pinionportion into engagement with said magazine to a position wherein it doesnot so move said movable pinion portion, and sensing means positioned tonormally sense the depletion of cups in the turret then associated withsaid dispensing cam and when so sensing the depletion of cups adapted toconnect said operating means to said motor to enable said indexing meansto position the other of said turrets in association with saiddispensing cam.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said operating means comprises asolenoid adapted to be activated by said motor and means activated bysaid solenoid and connected to said plate cam to move said plate caminto a position wherein it is capable of moving said movable pinionportion into engagement with said magazine.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said sensing means comprises a powercircuit between said motor and said solenoid and a normally open cupsensing switch located in said circuit and positioned to engage the cupsbeing dispensed from the turret associated with said dispensing cam sothat when said cups become depleted said solenoid is energized toinitiate the indexing action.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein a full cycle switch 'cam mechanism isconnected to said motor to form a holding circuit of sufificientduration to allow cup dispensing and indexing if necessary to beaccomplished.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said adjustable means comprises amovable plate member having a second posi tion wherein it is capable ofengaging said movable portion of said pinion to move said portion intoengagement with said magazine to index same and a first position whereinit is incapable of moving said movable portion of said pinion, linkmeans connected at one end to said plate member, and solenoid meansconnected to the other end of said link means whereby activation of saidsolenoid means serves to cause said link means to move said plate memberfrom said second to said first position.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said plate member comprises a partiallyrotatable disc cam.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein resilient means are operativelyconnected to said link means to normally 7 retain said disc cam in saidfirst position and to return said disc earn from said second to saidfirst position.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein a gear is provided in conjunction withsaid magazine which is capable of being engaged by said movable portionof said pinion to index said magazine.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said movable portion of said pinioncomprises a pin which is movable in a direction parallel to the axis ofsaid pinion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,374,168 4/1945Bowman 221104 2,433,736 12/1947 Carew 2211l 2,542,067 2/1951 Waite et a1221--104 2,732,098 l/1956 Lime et a1. 22111 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, PrimaryExaminer.

WALTER SOBIN, Examiner.

1. A CUP DISPENSER OF THE TYPE HAVING A MULTITURRET CUP MAGAZINECONTAINING A PLURALITY OF CUP STACKS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION AT LEASTONE CUP DISPENSING CAM ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAGAZINE AND ADAPTED TODISPENSE CUPS FROM THE TURRET IN CLOSET PROXIMITY THERETO, MOTIVE MEANSOPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO AND ADAPTED TO ACTIVATE SAID DISPENSING CAM,MAGAZINE DRIVING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID MOTIVE MEANS ANDCOMPRISING A ROTATED PINION HAVING A PORTION THEREOF WHICH IS MOVABLEINTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID MAGAZINE TO INDEX SAME, ADJUSTABLE MEMBERASSOCIATED WITH SAID MAGAZINE DRIVING MEANS AND HAVING A SECOND POSITIONWHEREIN A PORTION THEREOF IS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID MOVABLE PORTION OFSAID PINION TO MOVE SAID MOVABLE PORTION INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAIDMAGAZINE AND A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN IT IS INCAPABLE OF DOING SUCH, CUPSENSING MEANS FOR SENSING THE DEPLETION OF CUPS IN THE TURRET IN CLOSESTPROXIMITY TO SAID CUP DISPENSING CAM, A POWER CIRCUIT INCLUDING SAIDADJUSTABLE MEANS AND SAID CUP SENSING MEANS, SAID SENSING MEANS WHENOPERATED DUE TO CUP DEPLETION ADAPTED TO CLOSE SAID CIRCUIT TO PROVIDEPOWER TO SAID ADJUSTABLE MEANS TO MOVE IT FROM SAID FIRST TO SAID SECONDPOSITION.